There's A Thin Line Between Love And Hate
by A Crazy Brunette Geek Babe
Summary: In high school, Dean Ambrose (known then as Jonathan Good) HATED Angel Harper.. And now, years later, they're thrown back together again when Angel moves into the vacant beach house next door with her 5 year old daughter, Dahlia.It's often said there's a thin line between love and hate but will these two wind up crossing it? How will his friends Seth and Roman figure into this?
1. so we meet again

Downtime was finally here and Dean Ambrose fully intended to relax. Hell, he figured if anyone deserved it? He most definitely did.. What the private man was not expecting was neighbors in the beach house next door.

He grumbled to himself as his car turned into the driveway, and he saw the swingset, the pink bike, the toys littering the yard next door. "Damn it."

Roman looked over at his friend and then said "It's just a kid, Ambrose."

"Yes.. And I'm not known for bein' kid friendly, Reigns." Dean grumbled, until he happened to look beside the porch and catch a glimpse of the kids mother..

Then he had the loudest coughing fit known to human kind, and blinked, two, no three times just to see if he were seeing things correctly..

In the flesh and living less than a few feet away, in the next beach house was someone he really never expected to see again.

"What the fuck is she doin movin in?" he grumbled to himself as Roman gave him a look and asked, "Problem over there?"

"Yeah.. that girl.. She's this girl I hated in high school. Never thought I'd see that bitch again." Dean admitted quietly, as he raked his hand through his hair then thought to himself, _you know ya full of it, Ambrose, because hell, the girl, she got under ya damn skin, bein all loud and feisty like she was, tellin ya that ya didn't scare her.'_

Sensing by his friend and stablemate's silence that this was NOT an issue he wanted pushed, Roman didn't correct him like he started to before he'd seen the look in the guys eyes. Something was defintely going through his friend's mind, but he wasn't going to sit and dig for it.

Either one of two things would happen, as far as Roman Reigns was concerned, and one of them well.. He'd be a lot harder to deal with when they went back out on the road, if it did happen.. But Roman was going by the things he already knew inherently about his friend, and somehow he just didn't see Ambrose settling or falling for some chick.

So, it was safe to say that eventually, Dean would blow up, have one of his 'Ambrose tantrums' and there'd be no more mystery where his new neighbors were concerned.

They stopped in Dean's driveway and Roman smirked as he said calmly, "Just try not to make her so mad that she beats the living shit out of her, okay? And be nice to the kid.. I didn't see a guy around.."

"Me either.. Not that I was fuckin lookin or anything, of course." he added almost immediately as he'd given his answer, calling out, "Hey.. You and Rollins come back up tonight.. We'll drink a few beers or something."

"Are you admitting you get lonely, Mr. I don't need anyone?" Roman joked as Dean waved him off dismissively and then gave him the customary middle finger salute before unlocking the door to his beach house, walking in and throwing his bags down, letting the silence wash over him in waves.

Silence that was broken a mere ten seconds later by a grown up female swearing and a little girl screaming at the highest volume possible. He growled and rolling his eyes, he looked upward and mumbled, "Really? Ya coulda let 'em go anywhere else.. And ya let her come here.. With a kid.. To live right next fuckin door to me?" as he peeked through the venetian blinds on his side deck's door, tried not to fall over in laughter..

When he'd bought this beach house, right after getting signed to WWE, he'd bought it strictly because the realtor assured him nobody wanted the house next door, someone had died in it or something and people were kind of 'iffy' about buying houses where tragedies took place, so he'd have complete privacy and if he so chose, access to both docks and private beach areas behind the houses.

It'd been overgrown and old, dilapidated, the paint peeling, the windows busted, various other things wrong with the place beside his, so Dean figured that the realtor was right and nobody was going to buy the terd on a foundation..

But apparently, the stubborn caramel blonde who stood in the middle of the lawn screaming like a damn banshee at the top of her lungs, while holding her daughter who seemed to be getting a huge kick out of this, had.

And apparently, they were not going to be the 'unseen,unheard' type of neighbors, either.

As Dean chewed on a Tylenol and sipped his beer, watching the two females intently, trying to figure out just what the blue hell they were gaping and screaming at, he grumbled, "Somethin tells me I shoulda crashed on Seth's couch this fuckin week."

Finally, he saw it, what the two females were screaming at and when he did, he almost hit the hardwood floor in his den laughing hysterically.

"It's a fuckin possum. It's more scared of you two screamin ya damn head off than ya are of it." he muttered to himself before grabbing his beer and stepping out onto his deck, calling out that very statement..

As soon as she heard his voice, Angel Harper froze in her tracks.. She groaned and swore under her breath.. She'd bought this craptastic house because for one thing, she was a newly single mother, looking to escape an abusive ex husband and it was in her price range (her grams had willed it to her, so she owned it, free and clear), and another, the realtor told her speciffically that the neighbor was a professional athlete and that he was gone so much that he'd "hardly be a bother"..

She turned slowly, still, just to confirm her suspicions and shielding her eyes from the sun called back, "Really? And what made ya think that, exactly, Captain Obvious? He just caught me off guard is all."

"Sure it did, blondie.. Sure it did.. Ya mean to tell me ya buy a piece of shit house like that and ya don't expect a few assorted wild animals to already be livin inside?" Dean said with a smirk as he watched her rolling those deep green eyes of hers and biting her full lower lip.

He took a long pull from the beer bottle in his hand and walked over, closer to them as he said casually, "That you, Angel?"

"Obviously, Jonathan." Angel replied bitterly as she looked at him. Of all the men she had to accidentally move next door to, it had to be him..

The one guy who made her so damn crazy in high school that she could have murdered him in his sleep.. The one guy who got under her skin so quickly that she almost hated him on sight.. Even as she thought this, she knew it to be a lie.. She'd had quite the crush on the man standing in front of her, but he always called her names or picked on her, or cut her down in front of everyone.. He'd made her so angry once that she'd decked him, it'd resulted in her one and only time of getting sent to the principals office.

And now, he was living mere feet away from her. She had mixed feelings about it, really.

On the one hand, she had this feeling that this was not going to go well, he'd always been a wild and brash, quick to anger person back then and..

Then on the other hand, she thought of the threat her ex husband posed and she felt a little safer knowing that the biggest psychopath she'd ever had the displeasure of knowing was living right next door.

Somehow, she got the feeling that endless nights of cold showers lie ahead of her, because the guy always made her think of sex. Anything he did or said, or wore even, hell.. Back then, her mind had taken those things, turned them into endless nights of fantasies that she hated herself for having.

But she wasn't a kid anymore. She was a mother now, she was jaded, disillusioned and down on her luck.. She knew that she had to keep him at arms length.

The possum moved towards them and she screamed, bolting back, stumbling over a loose stone in the stone walkway leading to the steps on her side deck.. Dahlia giggled in her arms and then said "Mommy, you fall.."

Dean snickered and then eyed the rake, walking closer to the possum, wondering why in the hell he was even doing this, they'd already managed to sufficiently piss one another off in a matter of seconds, really.. The damn thing moved towards him and he ran back, swearing as he threw the beer bottle as a last resort.

"Son of a.." he grumbled as he looked at her and then shrugged as he said casually, "Hope there's not more of 'em in there." before walking back into the sanctuary of his own house, his own personal space and flopping down on the couch.

"Yeah.. she's still got that effect on me.. Don't know whether I wanna take her to bed or tie her behind my car and drag her down a road doing about 90." he muttered to himself as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ward off the impending migraine.

Angel gaped at the house next door then muttered, "Damn it.. He still pisses me off and turns me on, even now." whilst covering her daughters ears with her hand.

Dahlia looked at the house next door in curiousity.. She'd been so shocked by the little rat looking animal she and her mommy found in their new house, she'd almost completely overlooked that the man next door, well.. He was one of her favorite wrestlers.

Dean Ambrose.

She tugged her mommy's sleeve and said with a small and confident smile, "Mommy, that man next door.. He probably more scart of us than we are of him."

Angel burst into laughter and said calmly, "You might just be right, spidermonkey.. But let's get indoors, okay? Looks like it might rain in a few minutes."

"Otay.. Ya know who he was, right, mommy?"

"Mommy went to school with him."

"No, mommy, you silly.. He on tv all the time."

Angel raised her brow then asked, "What do you mean?"

"He on that show I watches. He wrestle. He good."

"You mean the show that you're not supposed to be watching, but you sneak into mommy's room and watch on her tv?" Angel asked, hiding an amused smirk as Dahlia gaped at her and then said "Can I go over? Please?"

"Yeah.. Something tells me that's probably NOT a good idea, Dahlia." Angel said as she looked at the house next door one final time before stepping inside of her own. She looked around and groaned... Had she bitten off way more than she could chew when she made the choice to move here to her gram's old beach house?

It had been standing empty for almost 30 years and her worst enemy as well as greatest temptation was living right next door...

Seth and Roman pulled into the driveway and knocked on Dean's door.. Dean flung open the door and then said "Ya got the cards, right?"

"Yeah. You have the beer.. Right?"

"Noooo, Rollins, I fuckin drank it all.. Tempting, but no.. I still have more than enough beer.. I'm gonna have to get the hard shit in an IV now, apparently.. I have neighbors." Dean muttered as Seth snickered and Roman mouthed, "Told you he was pissy about it." to Seth who asked, "So.. Is it true you know her?"

"Unfortunately, yeah."

"Wow.. So I'm takin it, the Ambrose charm wasn't in effect back then or..."

"Let's just say it's a mutual understanding.. We hated each other for reasons, okay?" Dean growled as he shuffled the deck of cards, lit a cigarette and added, "To be honest.. I didn't exactly hate her.. Treated her like shit, but I didn't hate her."

The other two males looked at one another then back at him as they snickered and asked, "If you didn't hate her, why treat her like shit?"

"Because she was too damn good for me, damn.. Can we stop growin lady parts and start playing poker here guys?"

The three men started their poker game, Dean fuming about his first run in with Angel as an adult who finally had all the good things in life, and not the shitty end of life, and Seth and Roman wondering what exactly his statement just now meant..

Did it mean the guy still liked her?

He hardly told them anything about the time he'd lived in Ohio, his life before wrestling and what little that they did know, was because he'd gotten way too wasted and just blurted it out..

So they knew it was pretty much all bad.

It appeared to be the start of a very long and awkward messy situation, if one were to ask either Dean or Angel what they felt..

And it was only just beginning.


	2. calling a truce sort of

The hammering and noises from next door were both grating on his nerves, comforting him just a little.. This way, he didn't feel quite so isolated. He peered through his shades, watched the house next door from his deck as he sipped a beer. He was almost tempted to ask if she might want some help, but then he remembered how damn stubborn she was when she wanted to be and smiled to himself a little before turning his attention back to the angry birds app on his Iphone.

A smallish shadow in his direct sunlight had him looking up, and the little girl stood there, watching him in curiousity as she smiled a slightly gap toothed smile and said "My mommy gettin mad at the hammer."

"I noticed, kiddo." Dean offered as he asked, "Does mommy know ya snuck off?" and eyed her warily as he asked her that question. What on Earth was she over here for?

She wasn't intent on leaving either, apparently, because she flopped down on the step of his deck in the sunshine.. "Are ya sure you being over here's a good idea, kid?" he asked cautiously and all he got in answer was a shrug as she watched a phone's screen intently.

"Whatcha watchin?"

"Fast and The Furious." the little girl said as she looked up a moment, held the phone out and added, "I Dahlia."

"I'm.." Dean started only to have her giggle then say "I know who ya are, I see ya on the tv all the time. You Dean Ambrose. My mommy used to take me to shows when ya were in FCW."

Dean raked his hand through his hair, shot a glance at the little girl's mother where she stood currently, swearing at a porch railing that was broken, she was trying to replace it. "What for?"

"Cause..." Dahlia said as she bit her lip and debated on telling him about how her uncle used to get them free tickets because he worked backstage.. Or that she knew that her mommy sort of maybe liked Dean, that's why she went a lot.

Because her mommy could say otherwise all day long, but Dahlia knew that her mommy wanted to set things straight too.. Or she'd figured that out since they'd moved here.

"I think she was lookin for ya, sir." Dahlia finally muttered as Dean asked, "Oh really.. She said this, or are ya just trying to play cupid, maybe, kiddo?"

"She tell my uncle a few nights ago when she talk to him."

Dean raked his hands through his hair and wondered for a moment why she'd be trying to find him when they hardly talked in high school, and when they had talked, it'd been mostly to insult one another or threaten one another, snapping at each other.

"Ooh.. Lookit. This the best part." Dahlia said as she stood and scooted into Dean's lap, holding the screen so he could see it. Dean chuckled as he asked, "Ya like the car or the guy, kid?"

"The car. Boys are yucky, duh." Dahlia muttered as she giggled and said "Uh oh.. Here come my mommy." and ducked her head, leaving Dean to deal with an explanation as to why Dahlia was on his deck, not in the yard just a few feet away, playing where her mommy could see her.

"Yeah.. Gee thanks, kiddo." Dean grumbled jokingly as he looked up and gave a wave then dug around, tossed Angel a beer and pointed to the step. "Damn thing's not gonna be any less broken when ya get back to it." he muttered casually, not really sure why he was inviting her over. Maybe it was the little revelation he learned a few minutes before she walked over, from her daughter.

"She's making you watch it, too, huh?" Angel chuckled as she looked at Dean who shrugged and said "Ah, it's not too bad. Not like some of the crap the guys wanna watch when we're on the road." as he fixed his eyes on her intently for a moment.

"What? I got something on my face?" Angel asked as she stared back, taking a sip of the beer he'd tossed her when she walked over a few moments ago.

"Nah, it's just.. I'm tryin to figure something out." Dean muttered as he raked his hand through his hair and then stood, sitting Dahlia down in the chair, taking the hammer from Angel. "C'mon. Probably won't make a damn difference with me slingin the hammer, but hey.. Beats the hell outta watchin ya hammer every damn thing but the board. Where the hell is ya husband in all this? Why not make that guy do something? I never see anyone but you doing shit to that house."

"Are you saying I can't do the same things a man can do?" Angel asked jokingly as Dean shook his head and asked, "No, just curious, actually."

"In that case, since you asked, and you weren't a dick about it, Jon.. It's just me and Dahlia.. We're alone."

"Ahhh."

"Hey.. What's that mean?"

"You nag him like ya used to nag me?"

He studied her face as he asked her this jokingly, and when he saw the moment's hurt and bitterness, he wondered what'd really happened to end her marriage.

He had a feeling he wasn't going to like her answer, and sure enough, when she answered, quietly, "Actually, no.. To be honest, he loved the bottle and throwing anger fits more than he did me or our daughter. Wasn't gonna let her grow up like I did, with a jerk who would snap and hit you for so much as even daring to give a funny look, so I got the hell out of there."

He nodded as he said quietly, "Oh." then asked, "That happened to ya all through school?"

"Got worse in high school, actually. Kinda why I stayed pissy, enjoyed stickin it to ya so much when ya tried to make fun of me and all that. The past is the past.. Let's just get over it, okay?"

Dean studied her a moment, warily as he said quietly, "You sure? I mean I was an asshole to ya."

"Jon, I gave it right back to you. We're adults now, there's really no point in not trying to be at least partially civil to one another."

Dean nodded and then said "Let's see if we can't get this rail fixed.. Don't think ya want Dahlia fallin off the porch." to change the subject. His own mind was full of questions, but for now, he'd take finding things out, finding out the answers to those questions as they came from Angel, freely. Besides, it wasn't any of his damn business in the first place.

He'd just gotten the board in place and jokingly to test it, he sat on it, bounced a little. It seemed to stay, so he turned, told them both goodbye, muttering how he had something to do, but about halfway across the yard, Angel called out, "My brother, he's in town.. Gonna come by tonight.. He's probably going to barbecue.. If you want, Jon.. You can come over too?"

He thought about it a moment then said with a smirk, "Sure. If nothin happens." before retreating into his house, closing the door, thinking about everything the little girl told him before her mother walked over and thinking about why exactly he'd treated her the way he had in high school, reminding himself rather, just why it'd never work for them and why his feelings right now were a very, very bad idea.

But hey.. Friendship didn't hurt, right? And she did need a guy around, should the ex he suspected he was going to see at some point, show up and try to raise hell.

"Wish I woulda known what she was livin in back then.. Might not have given her so much misery." he muttered to himself as he leaned back on the couch, resting a few moments.


	3. i'll look out for her

"So, she invites you to a barbecue tonight.. And you're sitting here debating on going, why, exactly, man? I thought you guys called a truce?" Seth asked as Roman nodded in agreement, watched the two females and a man who was apparently Angel's older brother, nearby, gathered around a grill.

"Luken.. He doesn't exactly like me. Last time he caught me around Angel, he kinda put my head through a car windshield.. I mean yeah, I deserved it, but.. Doubting he's gonna roll out the red carpet for me if I were to go over."

"But Ambrose.. That little girl's birthday is today, if the decorations that her mom is hanging up are anything to go by.. And she's been through a lot, I mean from what you've told us about Angel's ex and their life in Ohio.. And then there's the fact that the kid loves you to death, man.. She's a fan."

"I know, Seth, damn it, I know.. But what if Angel was just offerin the truce because she thought it was a nice thing to do? I mean hell.. She was just as bad as me back then, how the hell do I know she really meant it?"

"That guy.. He's walkin over here, Ambrose." Seth said in amusement as the tattooed and muscular Italian male walked over, smirking.

"So.. my sister tells me she invited ya to Dahlia's birthday thing."

"She did." Dean said as he eyed the taller and muscular Italian male with in interested and amused smirk as he leaned in and asked, "Tellin me to fuck off, Harper? Lemme remind ya.. She's a grown up now."

"No, actually, tellin ya to watch her while I'm not around, Good. My sister's sweet, she's just been hurt a lot.. And that ex of hers, he's taken to callin her, showed up at her work yesterday.. It's kinda why I came down for the weekend. I want that jackass to try something.. Been to prison once.. Won't mind goin back at all, really. And I know why ya did all the stupid shit ya did back then.. Doesn't take an idiot to figure out ya were hot for her, Good."

Dean glared as his two friends snickered.

"Why don't the three of ya come over, grab some food.. Angel and Dahlia are gonna make a run to get her cake, some more drinks and stuff.. We can talk man to man?"

Dean nodded, Seth and Roman looked at one another, then at Dean, Seth leaning in, whispering, "What'd he go to prison for?"

"Boosting cars.. Rumor going around back then also had him as shooting a guy, some people at school said he shot their daddy or something, not real sure actually." Dean said as he sipped a beer, the three men walked over with Angel's older brother.

"Hey Angel.. Can you pick up some brews too, while ya out?" Luken asked his sister who looked at the three men with her older brother, then at Luken before grabbing Luken's arm, dragging him across the yard.

"Luke? What the fuck? You're not gonna intimidate him, are ya? I told ya.. We're tryin to get to know one another and get past what happened when we were kids.."

"No, sis.. But damn it, your ex is callin, he's threatenin ya.. We both know, sis, if I have to run, if the cops catch on to what I'm up to now, I ain't gonna be here to protect ya.. Hell, Good, he's a strong and crazy guy, his two friends.. They all live near ya.. This is for ya own good, Angelique, damn it, don't get a hard fuckin head like our ma."

"Luken... Stop it. Look.. I bought this mess on myself, I'm gonna end it myself."

"No. Ya gonna let the law handle your ex. And ya gonna let Good and his buddies watch out for ya, because the last damn thing I wanna worry about while I'm tryin to get to somewhere with no extradition, is if you and my niece are gonna be alright." Luken said stubbornly, for a moment, the adult siblings locked in a glaring war of sorts.

Seth and Roman looked at Dean and said "She's feisty."

"I know, man." Dean said as he watched the sibling staredown, holding Dahlia, staring at her mother as a slow smirk filled his lips.

"Kinda why I fell for her back then." he muttered to himself, unaware that the little girl he held in his arms right now had heard him, and was now beyond convinced that she had to play cupid. Maybe if she did, then the man holding her wouldn't look so angry and bitter, or sad and bored all the time.

He lived alone, so she figured he had to get lonely, even though she honestly went over to visit him as much as she could sneak away without worrying her mommy.

And her mommy, well.. Her mommy had looked for him an awful lot after she'd left the scary man Dahlia hated calling daddy.. There had to be a reason, right?

She had to hope so, at least.

Angel nodded. The last thing she wanted was to make Jon and his two friends Colby and Joe feel uncomfortable, so she nodded and agreed to what her brother told her.. But she knew deep down she also wasn't just gonna sit back and let them do everything, either.. She simply just did not have it in her to lie down and let someone take care of her, after all.

Even if she knew that she wanted to eventually get to a place where she and Jon could talk about why they'd treated each other the way they had back then.

"So.. I'm going to the store, guys.. Do any of you eat any certain thing? Or drink any certain thing?" Angel asked as Dean stopped her and shoved money at her, winking said quietly, "Just beer." as the three men setttled in for a long talk with Luken Harper, the ex convict older brother of Angel.

As soon as Angel and Dahlia were gone, Luken said quietly, "I've never been a real good guy.. I've spent my entire life makin one mess after another.. Mostly it was to keep my baby sister from havin to deal with our dad.. But some stuff I've done recenty.. Well, if the cops catch on to me, like I think they're gonna, Good, and the rest of ya.. I ain't gonna be here to make sure that bastard ex of my baby sister doesn't hurt her or Dahlia.. I was wondering.. You three men mind keepin an eye out when you're not on the road? Especially you, Good.. I know you'll take care of her, hell, she never woulda bought this place if she hadn't found out you were livin in Florida, man."

Dean blinked and asked calmly, "Huh? Repeat that?"

"She's been tryin to find ya.. I think she has because she loved ya back then.. Just didn't really have a good example of what love looked like, man.. Between me and the girls down at the park I used to sneak in my room and our ma and dad, well.. You get it.. She's not good at admitting this stuff, either."

"And neither is he." Seth said with a smirk as Dean glared at him, elbowed him and sipped his beer, thinking about what Luken said just now.

She'd been looking for him?

She moved to Florida because he was here?

If that wasn't an obvious sign, he really didn't know what was.. And now that the truth was out, he really didn't know what the hell to do with it. Or how he felt about it.

He knew he still felt everything for Angel he had then that'd made him treat her like dirt, just so she'd never realize just how much power she held, how easily she could hurt him. But would it work out now, with their lives having put them both through everything they'd been through to make them who they were now?

"Yeah, Harper.. I'll look out for her." Dean said calmly, as he nodded and then said "And yeah.. I know what ya mean.. It's kinda why I used to purposely lash out at her too, back then.. Same situation."

Luken smirked and tossed the men a few beers as he said "Let's see if we can't get this food started, shall we boys?"


	4. continued

"Mommy, do you like Mr. Ambrose or somethin?" Dahlia asked her mother as they drove back from the supermarket. Angel sighed and then said quietly, "Yeah, mommy does.. But it's not that simple, Dahlia."

"But it is, ya like him, tell him."

"I can't just do that, Dahlia, I mean he might have this whole other life.. Besides, we're just getting to know each other again, I'm not really trying to rush into anything." Angel explained to her daughter patiently as Dahlia grumbled and then said quietly, "I think he likes ya."

"He does not."

"If he didn't, mommy.." Dahlia trialed off as Angel gave her daughter that typical 'pushing it' warning glance. They pulled into the driveway, Dahlia put her hand on her mom's hand and said quietly, "He said it outta his own mouth, mommy."

Angel blinked but sighed and said calmly, "Dahlia Brooklyn Harper, you have to stop this, okay? Just stop because he's just trying to be friends with me, I'm sure of it."

"You wrong, too." Dahlia said as she looked at her mom, poking out her tongue. She opened the car door and bolted straight for the legs of Dean, giggling as she made faces from his arms at his two best friends, the guys he worked with on the show all the time.

"So.. When ya go back to works.. Will ya wave at me when ya on tv?" Dahlia asked the three men, making begging eyes as she did so. Angel sat the cake down on the picnic table, went to work on setting the beers and other drinks in the cooler as a few of her friends showed up from work with their kids, giving Dahlia someone to play with, thankfully.

"Is they the Shield? Wow.. How you get 'em to come to you party?" a little boy named Jackson asked Dahlia who leaned in and whispered matter of factly, "My mommy.. She in love with one of 'em."

"Really?"

"So is he you daddy?"

"No.. But I wish he was, because he actually does stuff with me.. I mean, my daddy, he was always drinkin and he was always real mean.. But Dean, he.. He took me to get seashells once.."

While the kids played, Jackson's mother Irene walked over and sat down by Angel, asking, "So.. Is one of these guys the Jon you talk about at the office?"

"Yeah, but don't butt in, Irene."

"I'm not gonna, but I gotta ask.. How'd you get 3 WWE Superstars to come to the party?"

"Because Dean Ambrose is Jon, damn it, Irene, I told you this earlier this week when you were pickin up Jackson from his playdate... And yes, Irene, he's single. But good luck with that." Angel said as she sipped her beer, watching Jon, Joe, Colby and her brother talking by the grill, wondering why suddenly her brother Luken was convinced that it had to be Jon who watched over her, not that she thought she needed it..

He'd given her several reasons, but somehow, she had this feeling, knowing her big brother, that none of them were the actual reason.

With a chuckle, Irene nudged Angel and said calmly, "Oh trust me, Angelique.. That man is single physically, yes.. But mentally, he's taken."

"Right, Irene, because he's gonna go for boring stick in the mud me, who works at a damn beauty salon when he can date one of those model looking girls he's on the road with all the time.

"Well? He is looking over here at you in a weird way. And he's good with Dahlia.. Kids can sense this stuff, Angelique. Trust me. That's why I bring any guy I am gonna date home to meet my little man first. If he don't like 'em? Not worth wastin the time on. You're doing it again.. Earth to Angel.. Come in, Angel."

"Huh?" Angel asked as she blinked, tore her eyes off of her former childhood crush/enemy turned friend and then muttered, "I was NOT staring."

"Sure you weren't, Angel." Irene stated as she noticed two other women walking in the gate, making their way over to the males with Angel's brother, Luken.

Seth nudged Roman and then said with a smirk, " Celeste and Layla should be on their way over, buddy.. They stopped by the house, saw my note, and now they're curious."

Dean grumbled as he said "Just great.. Tell 'em stay outta shit, okay?"

"I did, calm your tits, Good." Seth said as Roman chuckled and then said "Looks like Angel's looking over here at you.. Again.. Why don't you go over and talk to her or something, man."

"Because, she's talkin to some chick she works with, Irene.. If Irene weren't battin a thousand in nutso, I might do that.. But whenever I do, when that chick's around, she's always makin damn cow eyes at me."

The arrival of Layla and Kaitlyn bought the conversation at hand to a halt for the moment, until Kaitlyn asked calmly, "So.. Which one of 'em is Angel?"

"The one with the almost brown blonde hair. That other chick's a nutjob, I think." Dean stated as Layla snickered and then asked, "And you're sitting over here, with us, why?"

"We asked him the same damn things." Roman said as he slid his arm around Layla who piped up again, "If you're going to sit here, stare at the girl like a proper arse, Dean, at least go over and talk to her."

"Maybe when senorita El Hombre Loco leaves." Dean said as he sipped his beer, choking when Kaitlyn said aloud, "If I liked girls, I'd do her. I mean she doesn't look as mean as you said she was, Ambrose.. I think you two just liked each other.. And if you're not gonna talk to her? We're gonna.. Come on, Layla."

Layla and Kaitlyn stood and walked over to Angel, sitting on either side of her as Irene went to go check on her son and Dahlia in the tree house.

"Hi."

"Hey.. So.. My boyfriend, Colby tells me you knew Dean before he became Dean.."

"I did, yeah."

"Was he an ass then too?" Kaitlyn asked as Layla laughed then said "We're actually both wondering about that."

"He pretended to be a badass, yes.. But he had his good guy moments too."

"Oh really?" Kaitlyn and Layla asked as they looked at Angel intently. Angel sipped her beer and watching him as he threw a brightly colored Nerf football back and forth with Dahlia and Jackson, his two friends Colby and Joe, and her brother, Luken, she told the two females who'd obviously shown up as Joe and Colby's dates, "Yeah.. Like there was this one time.."

o.0.o

_"Leave me alone. I'm gonna go get my brother Luken and you'll.. You'll be really, really sorry, Lavont." a 15 year old Angelique Harper said as she tried yet again to back away from Lavont, a local thug who thought he 'owned' the alley between the apartments that Angel and her brother, a neighbor named Jonathan Good and some friends of hers, and their local high school, the rec center._

_She'd known she'd better hurry it up when she'd been down at the rec center, playing pool with her friends Kirby and Illona, but she'd been late when she stopped by the gym, got caught up in watching Jonathan Good, a guy she loved like crazy, even though he obviously hated her, fighting in an open fight night down at the gym.. She'd had to stay, she could not unglue her eyes from the way his body moved, the way all of his muscles moved and jerked, standing at attention as he grappled with a bigger and scarier guy named Cody, who taught the fight classes and was a friend of her older brother, Luken._

_Now it looked like thanks to her inability to stop watching Jon as he took on and beat guy after guy during the open fight night the gym was holding, Lavont was going to make it his mission to put the f ear of god into her, if he didn't beat her half to death or try and rape her, worse even, first._

_Before she could really say or do anything, or react in any way, grab something to defend herself or go for the blade her big brother made her carry on her person, Lavont went sprawling back through the glass patio door of a first floor resident of their building named Crazy Maddie. _

_"Ah shut ya face, lady, I'll fix the fuckin window." Jon yelled as Maddie threw a bottle out at his head, then called the police because of the fight going on in her living room. The fight came back outside, and Jon looked up at one point and said in a deathly calm voice, "Get ya ass upstairs, Harper, fucking go now. If I have to kill this fuck."_

_"Jon.. You don't have to do this.. I can go get Luken."_

_"You don't wanna know what the fuck he was gonna do to ya, if I hadn't come up." Jon explained as the fight came to a halt with the arrival of sirens blaring and blue/red lights lighting the poorly lit alley. Lavont ran down to the park where he did business with his boys, and Jon, well.. He ran down the alley, hid behind a dumpster, because he was determined NOT to be a problem for the girl he'd just defended. Besides, her older brother Luken was a banger too, for a white Italian guy thing, and the last thing he wanted was Luken Harper, who he'd heard had shot his own father when the guy got too 'out of hand' with his and Angel's ma over the summer, pissed at him yet again.. The last time Luken Harper got pissed at him for even breathing around her?  
He'd gotten his head smashed against a windshield of a car that belonged to either Les or Cody, by Luken._

_When he woke up the next morning, he found a note slid through his bedroom window, with a tinfoil wrapped muffin and a box of orange juice. All the note said was "Thanks.. For an asshole, ya not such a bad guy."_

o.0.o

She finished telling them about that and Kaitlyn looked at Layla then at Angel, then at Dean. Both women asked, "He did that?"

"Yeah." Angel said as she smiled a little, to herself then said "So.. You guys work with them? What's it like, I mean?"

"It's actually not as glamorous as everyone thinks it is. Mostly, when we do get to do things we're so bloody tired we try everything we can to opt out." Layla said as Kaitlyn added, "What do you do?"

"Working at a beauty salon that my friend owns, we're sort of co owners, really.. And then I help out at this library in town a few days a week to make some extra cash. My life's boring, thank God."

"You want a boring life?"

"Anything beats living with the ex husband. The guy was a nightmare, and he's always trying to find some way to come back and hurt me.. I'm out and I'm determined not to go back."

"Was he.."

"Yes, he was. But hey, I learned what a dick move it was to get married right outta beauty school, right girls?" Angel said dismissively, as the three women sat watching Dahlia and the guys play with a nerf football.

Angel got the distinct feeling that she'd wind up becoming friends with the two women who sat by her, and she really hoped so. Irene was okay, but every now and then, she got tired of the drama.

The two women she'd spent a good part of the past hour talking to, well, they seemed to be drama free, down to Earth and those were things Angel really needed around her, with everything she had going on lately.

"Hey.. you guys come over more while you're on downtime. I don't really get much time to spend with friends, but maybe we could all go to the beach, let Dahlia swim and chat or something." Angel said as Kaitlyn and Layla smiled, told her "We'd love that, actually, we were about to suggest that ourselves."

After they walked over to their boyfriends, Dean walked over and said "Irene gone?"

"Yes, she's gone. Sorry if she creeps you out a little.."

"It's not a big deal, really, ya kinda get used to people just starin at ya. Doesn't mean I like it, but hey.. Not gonna complain."

Angel shot him a glare, playfully poked out her tongue as she asked, "So.. Dahlia doesn't bother you, being around a lot, does she?"

"Nah. Gettin kind of used to having her underfoot. She's amusing.. So.. Kaitlyn and Layla.. Whatever they said about me while I'm not here, it's a lie." he joked, waving his hands in the air a little. Angel laughed and leaning in gave a wink then said "Relax.. I personally think they were grilling me for some reason."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. It's cool though. I like 'em, I mean they're not in the middle of everything like Irene or the other girls at the shop are. It's a relief, actually." Angel said as Dean stood, pulled her up.

"What the hell?"

"C'mon.. Come throw a few with us. Ya know, it is okay to be childish sometimes, Ang."

"Okay, fine, alright. But do not laugh. I'm shitty at throwing balls though."

"Relax, damn. I'll show ya."

"Yeah, I bet you will." Angel said as Dean shrugged and pulled her off the picnic table's bench.

They made their way over to the others, and he grabbed the football, laughing as he handed it to her, winking as he called out jokingly, "Everybody run.. She's not good at throwin shit, not at all."

"Damn it, you said."

"Okay, sheesh. Throw."

"Not if you're gonna rag me."

He mocked zipping his lips and Angel threw, the ball wound up hitting her brother who glared at her and threw it back as he asked his niece, "Hey.. Wanna see Uncle Luken and mommy's friend tickle mommy, sprout?"

"Mhmm."

"Dahlia? You're supposed to be on my side, angel, you're my daughter." Angel said as she started backwards and her brother, Dean started towards her, Luken stating, "I'll hold her, Good, ya tickle her ribs. She hates that shit."

So sue him, he'd probably been the biggest reason the two of 'em never got together back then, and he'd always wished he'd have been a little less overprotective, maybe let Jon make a move for his sister.. Maybe if he had, she'd never have found a worse guy and almost died twice while married to him.

And he fully intended to fix things with the two of them now.


	5. almost lost you

It'd been quiet since Dean got home from his training session at the gym about 5 minutes earlier. Maybe that's why Dean felt the need to walk over to the beach house next door and peek in a window, see if everything was okay.. He'd been getting closer to Angel the past few days, since they had about 2 weeks downtime, before going back on the road, so he knew that tonight, Irene had Dahlia at her place, which left Angel here alone until about 10 pm.

The first thing he noticed was the door slightly ajar, and a pane in the glass burst as if it'd been punched. Before he could stop it, the intense feeling of anger, and the adrenaline, the slight fear he was surprisingly feeling kicked in and he pushed the door open, looking around.

There had definitely been signs of a struggle, and he didn't see Angel anywhere in the kitchen or the den. But he did see the partially bloody footprint that lead down the hallway, stopped at a closed door.

"I'm gonna fuckin murder this guy when I see him. He's fucking dead where he stands." Dean said as he studied the mess, ran his hand through sweat soaked and shaggy hair, pursing his lips in anger. He took out his cell phone and called the guys, letting them know what he'd found when he just happened to get a little worried about the deafening silence next door.

Then again, he'd had a weird feeling when they'd all driven by the house on his way back from the gym just now. He'd just felt like something was off, really.

Luken, he knew, had just left town earlier that morning, he knew this because Dahlia came over, with Angel, who seemed reluctant to ask what Dahlia wound up asking, if he'd keep her for a few minutes while her mom went to the airport so she could sleep a little longer.

He'd had an hour to kill before he went to the gym then, so he figured what the hell and he'd told Angel he'd keep Dahlia, since after all, he was getting kind of used to her early morning visits.

He happened to be looking around the kitchen when he noticed the landline phone had a message on the answering machine. He hit play and then growled, punching at a cabinet when he heard the voice of what had to be Angel's ex husband announcing grimly, "I'm so close now, Angel, I can almost touch ya.. I wanna play a game, babe.. Wanna guess where I am?"

"What the fuck did you come home for, Ang, if you knew he was gonna pull this shit?" he murmured as he heard Seth and Roman stepping in, Kaitlyn and Layla in tow, gasping at the mess and the chaos in the room. Kaitlyn's hand flew to her mouth as she pointed to the footprint and asked, "is that..."

"Nah, dumbass, it's red jello." Dean growled as he turned to Roman and Seth as he said quietly, "I'm gonna call the cops.. Just gonna call Irene first, let her know if she has to bring Dahlia back, to bring her to my place.. Girls, ya might have to sit with her, because if I find this fuck tonight? I'm gonna fuckin kill him. Listen to this." as he mashed play again on the answering machine.

Layla groaned and said "And now I know why she sounded bloody pissed and panicked when she switched back over calls a few minutes ago and said she had to go, and that girls night was probably off for tonight, she had to do something. I told her, do not go after this man, do not play his games. Kaitlyn and I were actually on our way over here to make her tell us what happened to change her mind about tonight and then make her come to you and tell you."

Kaitlyn nodded and then said "He followed her the last time we went out to lunch.. I mean a car followed us for two blocks and she was trying to evade him, she finally got into that really heavy traffic on the bridge and we lost him there, thank God. I tried then to get her to go to the cops and she basically said that the cops probably would not help her, because they damn sure hadn't in Ohio."

Dean gaped at them and then asked, "What else has been happening?"

"The calls and someone tailing her. And we only just found out about it, when the whole thing happened earlier this week, yesterday, actually, when we all met for lunch on her lunch break."

"Damn it."

Dean swore as he picked up a garbage can, threw it at the washing machine in the corner. He thought he heard something, so he put his finger to his lips and looked at his friends, nodding to the knife rack, as he slid out the biggest and sharpest looking of the knives before calling out boldly, "Hey asshole? Wanna play a game with someone? Why don't ya come out, play it with me?"

The man turned to his ex wife and smirked as he mouthed, "Friend of yours, Angel? Shame, shame, shame.. Hope you didn't love him because he's about to die." before laughing to himself a little, answering, "In the bedroom.. If you're smart though, I'd turn around and walk out, stay out of this. Or I could just slit her throat."

Dean grumbled, raised his brow at the man talking from down the hallway. He turned to Layla and Kaitlyn and pointed to the phone, then the door, mouthed "Cops.. Now" before calling out to the man, "Ya think so? Because see, I think if you were gonna, man, you'd have done it when ya first broke in, before anyone found out ya were in here with her or came to check on her, because they got a bad feeling." as he looked at Layla and Kaitlyn again, pointed to the door again, mouthing, "Can't do it in here, the prick will hear ya, might do what he's threatening. I got this, girls, relax."

They nodded and took the phone outside, Dean started to walk down the hallway, holding the knife in the air, poised to strike. He kicked open the bedroom door just as the guy was trying to go out the window with a semi conscious (he knew this because he could hear her swearing in a weak voice and trying to use the strength she had left to get free) and badly beaten Angel over his shoulders.

"Drop her now."

The man stopped in the window, turned and smirking said "Nope, afraid I can't do that.. See, when she left me, she pissed me off.. Now she's gonna pay."

The sirens came racing up the streets and the man glared and then Dean shrugged as the man dropped Angel onto the floor, took off down the window, using the drainpipe as an escape route.

Roman saw the man running and smirked as he told Seth, "So.. Feel like makin it a little easier for the boys in blue?"

"I'd say it was time to dispense a little justice, yeah." Seth said as he added, "He just better hope to God the cops get him in the squad car before Ambrose comes out. Did you see how angry he was just now?" as they sprinted, catching the man just when he thought he had the all clear and was about to cross a fence into another neighbors yard.

The man got slammed to the ground and Roman leaned over him as Seth called out "Hey 5-0.. The prick's back here. Ignore the crazy bastard who's gonna come out wielding a knife. He was protecting the girl who lives in this house." right as Dean broke out the door, having gotten Angel sat down in a chair, making her wait right there.

Dean dove off of the deck railing and onto the man, the two men started to fight while the cops ran over, trying to seperate them. Dean came away swearing and snarling at the other man, Angel's ex husband, and the man felt the cold metal of handcuffs being clamped tightly on his wrists. Dean smirked as he threw in one last really hard punch, shattering the man's nose, being warned by a police officer about continuing the altercation further and Angel limped out and then said "Actually, officers, I'm the woman who lives here, and that man broke into my house, was going to kidnap me and probably murder me.. So if this guy wants to punch him? Fucking let him. Because trust me.. Had he not overpowered me, I'd have chopped him into pieces by now, and dumped his ass in the canal."

The cop looked at them and then Angel said quietly, "Oh and just so you know.. I will be pressing charges, and yes, I want a restraining order on this sick fuck." before stopping in front of her ex husband and spitting at him as she also sent a left hook to the man's nose, busting it for about the third time in about 20 minutes.

"I told ya to stay ya ass inside until this is done and he's gone, woman." Dean said as he helped her back up the porch and into the house. Layla looked at them and then informed Dean, "We tried to stop her, but she was determined to get out there and make sure you were okay. She said he had a gun on him."

Roman smirked as he held up the handgun and asked, "Ya mean this one?"

"How'd you get it off him?"

"Grabbed it out of the waistband of his jeans when I pulled his ass off the fence and slammed him onto the ground. Didn't want the damn thing going off, spoiling Dean's fun when he got outside to him." Roman said as Seth snickered and then said "You tell ME not to encourage him?"

"The guy deserved it. He's fucking lucky I didn't help."

Dean smirked and then said quietly, "I'm gonna take her to the ER. I'll call Irene from there." as his friends nodded and Layla and Kaitlyn helped Angel to the car, took her keys and handed them to Dean, after lecturing her about trying to end the whole mess herself.

Angel groaned and squeezing her eyes shut she said quietly, "I didn't wanna risk him hurting Jon, or going to Irene's and getting his damn hands on Dahlia like he threatened. I know, guys.. I was just trying to keep everyone safe."

Dean grumbled, "Yeah, everyone but yaself, apparently." as he got her situated in her passenger seat, then got in on the drivers side, trying to get his heart to leave his throat and go back down into his chest cavity. If something had happened to her, he honestly wasn't sure what he would have done, or how he would have handled it, really, and this scared him. He'd never let someone get to him like this, he wasn't entirely sure if he liked it or not.

They pulled into the ER parking lot and he went around, picked her up out of the passenger seat, despite her protests. Angel muttered grumpily about being able to walk, but Dean smirked and shrugging said "Shuddup. I'm gonna carry ya, damn it. Next time, woman.. I mean if ya even THINK he's callin or he's around.."

"Damn it, Jon, I didn't want you feeling like you had to be a bodyguard."

"Yeah? Well I am now, babe, so deal with it." Dean asserted as he looked at the ER's desk receptionist and said calmly but angrily, "What the hell are ya waitin on? Get a damn doctor out here, now, can't ya see she's been beaten the hell up?"

The nurse hurried off and Dean flopped into a chair, pulling Angel down onto his lap carefully as he said calmly, "That's it, I don't give a damn what ya say about it, ya gonna get a damn security system installed in that house."

Angel studied him in curiousity, and then leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek as she managed a smile and said "Ya pretend to be such a tough guy.. But you're really not. It's cute. And I owe you my life, because if you hadn't come in? I have no doubt that he would have killed me."

Dean looked at her then muttered quietly, "Yeah and I'd have killed him. I mean.. Nevermind." as he looked at his hands quickly, not sure if he even wanted to admit anything to her. If he did, then that gave her power, and that wasn't something he was completely secure in her having.

Because he'd let people in before, very few, but enough to know that sooner or later, he'd wind up alone and angry, bitter and disappointed.

Angel tried to calm down, but she thought about it all and got mad all over again. She was angry that despite all of her efforts her ex husband had not only found her, he'd almost beaten her as badly as he had last time. Dean noticed her shaking and he asked, "He didn't.."

"No.. I'm shaking because I'm mad. I do that, remember?"

"Yeah.. That one time ya belted me in the nose ya hand was shakin so hard when ya finished I thought it was gonna fall off your arm." Dean admitted as Angel grumbled then said quietly, "I should have told you, but he said something that got me thinking that he's been watching us when we're down at the beach or something, talking and letting Dahlia build sandcastles."

"Next time, Angel, don't fuckin worry about what he may or may not do to me, damn it. He coulda killed ya today."

"I know. I was trying to call the cops when he got me from behind." Angel said as she leaned against him and calmed down a little bit.

The doors opened and Dahlia ran in, crying, freaked out. Dean picked her up and then sitting her on his lap, since Angel was sitting in a cubicle in the back, a doctor had finally called her in, so he said quietly, "It's okay, I got him. Ya might have to stay with me tonight, kiddo, if they keep your mom."

Dahlia nodded quietly and said "He been following mommy. And he try to pick me up from daycare, but I kinda lied to the lady in the office and say he not my daddy, I don't know him. I didn't wanna scare mommy, I was gonna come over and tell ya what happened when I got home tonight."

"Smart move, kiddo." Dean said as he smiled at her then said quietly, "You said something earlier this week.. About ya mom saying something to you.."

"She tell me in the car on the way back with my cake last weekend she like you but it's complicated. I think she scared."

Dean nodded as he said "She doesn't have to be." as they waited on the doctor to finish checking on Angel. She walked out of the cubicle she'd been taken to, limping a little as she swore under her breath and told Dean, "Sprained ankle. And stitches. And why the hell are you not getting looked at?"

Dean looked down at his leg and realized that not only had he ripped the lower part of his track pants when he'd been rolling around beating the hell out of her ex husband, he'd also managed to get a gash on his leg from a piece of busted glass from the window on the door that'd been busted.

"Because, it's a scratch."

"That is not a scratch, Jon, damn it."

"Angel.. It don't hurt.. And I'm not gonna go back there, do something to make it start hurtin." Dean said as he let her pay and fill out the forms she had to in order to leave the ER.

"Actually, he needs a doctor too." Angel informed the attendee who looked at Dean. Dean gave Angel a dirty look and said stiffly, "I'm fine."

They walked out into the parking lot and Dean helped Angel into her car, then answered Irene's million questions when she came back by to see if Angel had been in to see a doctor yet.

"She's fine. Had to get stitches, but she's okay. I could strangle her though, she coulda told me." Dean said as Irene nodded and said calmly, "She's stubborn. She kept insisting that she didn't want you or Dahlia getting hurt so she had to end this whole thing between them, his following her, the threats and stuff, on her own. We all tried telling her it wasn't going to keep anyone safe.."

"She's gonna be now though, because I'm gonna make sure of that."

"You really do love her, don't you?" Irene asked as she looked at him. He didn't answer, but he really didn't have to. Even though he acted like it didn't make him happy to admit it, or that it maybe scared him just a little, because it was something he couldn't ignore or control, she could actually tell.

"Why don't you do something about it?"

"Because, damn.. I'm not good at this."

"She's not either, but something's gotta give.. I mean you're all she talks about, besides Dahlia. She honestly enjoys spending time with you. And I've seen you with my little buddy D, you're good with her. Do something. Or this guy we work with is gonna make a move.. And this guy is a total douchepot." Irene said as Dean laughed a little and then said with a smirk, "Know what? I just might."

"Good luck."

She left and Dean got into the car, starting it. When they'd pulled into her driveway, he smiled a little when he realized both Angel and Dahlia were sleeping in the passenger and back seats. He leaned over and tapped Angel awake, then said quietly, "I'm gonna take ya both in my place.. It's a damn mess, but.. Ya house is kind of torn apart, and there's no way in hell I'm gonna take ya both in there, because the window on the door is busted, anyone can come in."

She blinked, started to protest then realized she was dealing with Jon and if she argued, he'd only argue more, eventually either pissing her off and wearing her down, or he'd just completely ignore her and do what he planned on doing anyway. And with the pain medicine still in her, she wasn't really in the shape to go round for round verbally with him so she nodded and said quietly, "Are you sure we're not gonna be in your way?"

"The hell do you think? If I had plans, I'd have never come home from the gym." Dean said as he got out, walked around, helping Angel out of the car, then getting Dahlia out of the booster seat. He unlocked the door and stepped aside, letting them in, then he shut the door behind him, helped Angel get Dahlia settled in on the couch.

"Want a beer?"

"I, err.. Sure.." Angel said as she noticed that he seemed to be struggling with something or saying something.. She followed him into the kitchen and after he handed her a beer, they sat down and sort of talked about everything that had been going on in their lives before they ran into one another again. She wound up telling him everything about her marriage and why she'd left, why it'd taken her so long to do so, finishing by asking, "And now, you think I'm pathetic.. "

"Nah. Ya thought if ya left, he'd hurt her."

"Basically, yes. Then I realized that the only thing hurting her was the fact that we were still there, with him. I'm actually surprised she took to you like she did, for a while there, she didn't even really want her uncle messing with her, she was afraid of pretty much any man she came in contact with. I mean it was getting better, but she still acted wary. Then again, she does watch all your matches on tv."

"Oh really.."

"Yeah, really. I do too.. Have to cover my eyes though when some of the more painful looking moves start coming out.. I mean it just.. I don't know."

"She told me ya went to a lot of the FCW shows I had."

"Shit.. Yeah, I sort of got it in my head that I had to find you and either resolve the stuff that happened when we were kids, or just rub it in your face how good my life was.. Okay, no, that's not all, but.."

"Ya ramble when you get nervous. Kinda cute."

"Oh haha.. You've always been good at making me nervous." Angel finished as she sipped her beer, watched him from the corner of her eye, wondering if she should have just said to hell with it, kissed him like she really wanted to earlier. When she realized what was going on, they were leaning in closer and a cough had them springing apart, Dahlia stood in the doorway ,rubbing her eyes as she yawned and said "I thirsty."

Angel got up and poured her daughter a glass of water, then walked into the den to get her back to sleep on the couch, Dean standing leaned in the doorway, watching them, wondering if he could do this without doing something stupid and screwing it all up like he had every time he tried to tell her how he felt back then.


	6. hot nights, hotter texts

The storm raged outside with a ferocious intensity that had Angel sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She swore to herself as she realized that the power was out, because the air conditioner wasn't humming like it usually did, blocking out the sounds of the storm.

She laughed a little as she realized that Dahlia had fallen asleep in her bed, and that the movie they'd been watching, An Officer And A Gentleman, was paused on the menu screen. She covered up her daughter and made her way across the room into the bathroom that joined it, using her cell phone screen as a dim light source.

She'd just gotten some water when she heard her cell phone vibrating, and saw that it was coming from an unknown number. "Damn it.. Can't you just take a hint already? I mean do you really have to keep pushing?" she said as she hit ignore, letting it go to voicemail.

The screen lit up and this time it was a text from Jon. She read it and laughed a little louder than intended as she muttered, "You silly sexy man." and raked her hands through her hair, before texting him back.

Dean was sitting in a radio station with Seth and Roman, because apparently, their boss thought it'd be funny to schedule an interview for them at midnight on some local Florida radio show.

He slid out his phone because for now, Seth and Roman were doing most of the talking, and as he sat waiting on someone to ask him a question, he texted Angel, ' storm's getting pretty bad there, isn't it? wanted 2 check on u both. no ex, right? seriously thinking i want 2 kick mcmahon's ass for doing this. pretty sure he did it on purpose.'

A few seconds later, Angel sent him back a text that made him laugh a little that said ' Unknown number just called, didn't answer. Storm is bad and I am seriously contemplating nudity at this point. It's that damn hot. About the interview, haha, better you than me, lol. ;p'

He rubbed his chin in thought at the statement about the heat, then texted back, ' So u think it's funny, huh, babe. I'm gonna blast Megadeth and wake ya up 2morrow. We could go night swimming, lol.'

Angel stepped out of the cold shower she'd just taken when she saw her cell phone's screen lit up. She groaned, rolling her eyes in the darkness as she read the text he sent back and muttered quietly, "Yeah.. typical Jon statement.. Not that I'm gonna complain, or the idea doesn't tempt me.."

She laughed at herself, at how silly she was being, lately, and then dressing quickly, she walked back into her bedroom, got into the bed. The storm picked up intensity outside her window and she groaned as she rolled over on her back, then picked up her phone.

So he could flirt via text, hmm... No harm in her flirting back.. they had been sort of doing that with one another lately..

'Damn u 4 tempting me, Jon. I just had a cold shower, I'm good 4 now. So, is the interview almost over? This storm's picking up pretty damn bad, worried about u driving back in it.'

His phone vibrated against his leg and he slid it out covertly after answering the question the interviewer had just asked him. He groaned a little to himself, licked his lips and raked his hand over the back of his neck as he read the text, tried NOT to picture what she'd told him for himself, then smiled a little at the last thing she'd sent before answering back, 'Now who's teasin, babe? Storm's pretty damn bad, u 2 stay inside.. Interview's almost over, ain't makin any promises about being careful, bc I'm about to fall asleep sitting here.'

Angel read the text and groaned then texted back, 'Do not drive like a bat out of hell, damn it. I will kick ur ass if something happens to you. I enjoy our bizarre arguments. No worries, we're definitely gonna stay indoors. gonna try 2 sleep now, good night, jon.. I mean it, you be careful.'

Dean read the last text and grumbled a little as they were walking down the hallway of the radio station and out into the storm.

Once he was in the backseat, Seth was driving, he was the only one who was hyper enough to still be awake at the hour it was currently, Dean texted Angel back ' Good night.' as he slid his phone into his pocket. He walked in the door to his house as soon as he was home and flopping on the bed, he lie there listening to the rain hitting the roof and made a decision.

"Ahh what the hell.. I want her, too damn sick of fighting it.. And it's not like she's gonna make a move or something." he muttered to himself before he fell asleep finally.


	7. how about that swim?

The alarm clock started going berserk right around the time his hand, in her dream, wandered down her swimsuit top. She sat up begrudgingly and groaned when she realized that the alarm had been going off for almost ten minutes now, and she'd slept through almost all of it.

The giggle from the door had her looking at her daughter, smiling and asking, "What's so funny?"

"You even argues with him in your sleep, mommy.. If you don't tell him you like him, you gonna go crazy." Dahlia stated as she plopped down on the bed munching on a piece of toast.

"Hey.. I thought I told you if you wanted toast, wake mommy up." Angel scolded as she stood, popping her back. Dahlia shook her head, giggling said "Mr. Ambrose make us toast. Since he forgots milk when he go to Walmart for food Monday."

"Oh really.. Let me try that." Angel said as Dahlia shook her head, held out her hand and said " He told me to tell ya if ya want toast, ya gotta wake up and come outside.. We eatin outside."

"Oh really."

"Yeah." Dahlia said as Angel went to get dressed, Dahlia shaking her head as she said "Just go like that, mommy. If you try to stop get ready, it take you foreverrrrr."

"Oh haha. I will remind you that when you're older, and you're trying to get ready to go out with a boy or something."

"Eww, that's just.. It's gross, mommy." Dahlia said as she wrinkled her nose and tugged her mom's hand impatiently. "Okay, alright, sheesh. I'm coming, baby girl." Angel said as she grabbed a black t shirt, slid it down over her head, not realizing it was actually one of HIS shirts, because he'd used her washer earlier this week..

Dahlia however, was wide awake, and she could have told her mommy, but instead, she giggled and let her mommy walk down the stairs, carrying her.

Dean looked up as the door to the patio slid open and she stepped out wearing one of his t shirts, a pair of ancient plaid boxers and barefoot. He nearly choked on the toast he was eating as he played it off quickly, high fived Dahlia and said to Angel with a smirk, "Told shorty if she didn't wake ya up I was comin up there with a boombox and all my Megadeth cds."

Angel gave him a pout and poured herself a cup of coffee then tried to get the racy dream she'd been having about the man sitting across the table from her this very second, out of her mind. But it was one of those lucid dreams, the kind that stayed with you all day, and made you blush if god forbid, you happened to encounter the person in the dream with you.

"Stealin my clothes now, Angel?" Dean asked as he winked a little. And damn it if her heart didn't speed up just a little bit, and she almost choked on her own toast. She took a sip of her coffee and looking at him, licked her lips as she answered, "It's comfy, I might just keep it."

Dahlia looked from Dean to Angel then back again, started laughing a little as she looked at them, while quietly eating her toast. She'd been planning to play matchmaker, but if right now was anything to go by, there wasn't actually going to be a need for her to do that.

She spoke up and said "Mommy, I gonna go play in my treehouse while I waits on Jackson to come over and play."

"Okay, baby girl." Angel said as Dean blurted out, "Watch the third step, shorty.. One of the nails is comin out."

Angel's eyes riveted to his and he shrugged and said "Noticed it the other day when we were all back there, walkin to the beach front."

Suddenly, the two adults were very much aware that it was just the two of them for now. Dean coughed and Angel sipped her coffee, then licked her lips a moment as she looked at him. Well, this was a little awkward. You could clearly tell they both wanted to do or say something, but..

Finally, Dean spoke up and said quietly, " So.. I was wondering.. Since Dahlia's going to that kid's house for a little while.. And you don't have to go in to work today.."

"Yeah?"

Dean smirked as he licked his lips and asked boldly, " How about that swim later?"

Angel's heart did the speed up trick again and she bit her lower lip as she smiled and shrugged casually, winked and pretended to think it over. "Yeah.. I mean I did promise you a rain check in my text last night."

"Yeah, ya kinda did, Ang."

The honking of Irene's car horn and Irene's getting out, walking over had Angel groaning a little. She loved her friend, yeah, but Irene, well, she could be really, really nosy when she wanted.. And she got the sneaking suspicion that Irene's 'spontaneous' call this morning, to ask if Dahlia wanted to go to a movie with Jackson later, well.. She got the feeling that again, Irene was silently butting in.

"So, what movie are you takin 'em to see?"

"Thought about taking them to Monsters University since they're reshowing it at the mall." Irene said as she winked at Angel and asked casually, " What about you? You're not going to sit around here trying yet again to play carpenter or plumber or mechanic on this house are you?"

"Actually, I'm gonna go down to the beach front with Jon." Angel admitted as Irene winked at her and Dean smirked to himself watching how red her face turned because of Irene's picking on her.

He forgot how easy it was to make her blush, actually.

Angel went in to get Dahlia ready to go, find her money, hugging her, and Dahlia smiled and said quietly, "You better kisses him today, mommy."

Angel groaned and gave her daughter a look before hugging her and letting her get into Irene's car. And as she turned to walk back inside, grab her swimsuit, Dean had already went in a few moments before probably to find his trunks or something, she realized that for the first time in a really, really long time, she had the fluttery stomach and the racing pulse, the shaky legs.

Maybe this meant something.. Maybe fixing things with herself and Jon was a good idea.. After all, she'd never stopped having a crush on, thinking about the guy, no matter how badly they had treated one another as kids. She smirked in the mirror as she grabbed a beach towel and said to herself, "Fuck it.. Gonna go for it. If I keep trying to keep him at arms length because I'm worried that he'll hurt me or get hurt, I'm gonna wind up miserable.. "

She locked her house and walked down the pathway to the beach area behind their houses, saw him sitting there already, staring out at the water, a Corona in his hands.

"You finally come down?" he asked as he looked at her, smiled.

"Hey.. It didn't take that long."

"Yes hell it did." Dean said calmly as he slid his arm around her, let his eyes travel over her slowly and smirked. "Like the black and pink one better."

Angel snorted in laughter and then said "It's too small."

"And the side tie's always broken." Dean added as he ducked the light punch to the arm, sipped his Corona, averted his gaze to the water for a moment, trying to pretend complete innocence.

She stood and he pulled her back down, muttering quietly, "Where do ya think ya going?"

"Umm, it's hot.. I'm gettin in the water."

"Just a minute." he muttered as he leaned in and started to kiss her while standing, moving her to his arms, smirking as he jogged towards the icy cold water and submerged both of them.

"You ass."

"Ya liked it." he said with a wink as Angel shook her head no but said "Yeah, I did actually."


	8. leavin on a jet plane

"That's all of it, Jon." Angel muttered as she looked up at him, bit her lower lip. He was leaving to go back on the road today, which meant she wouldn't see him again for a few weeks, maybe even months. She somehow had this distinct feeling that it was going to be a long few weeks for her.

Dean bent slightly, kissed her forehead as he said quietly, "Hey babe.. Don't pout. I'm gonna call, I'm gonna try and use that damn thing ya got me.."

"The webcam?" Angel asked as she stifled a laugh, trying to picture Jon Good trying to use a high tech gadget. He was admittedly uncomfortable with something as simply used as a cell phone, so it was really funny to try imagining him trying to use the web cam.

She bit her lower lip, nodded as he added, "Besides.. Ya both gonna come to a few of the shows, right?"

"If we can, Jon, I promise." Angel said as she raked her hands through her hair, got pulled against him, almost lifted off the ground in a hug as he casually used their close proximity to one another's bodies to pinch her on her butt, while kissing and nibbling at her neck as he muttered quietly, "Ya better, Ang." and added in an even quieter tone, "If anything happens, I mean anything, babe.. Don't think.. Just get a damn plane ticket, come to me."

"Jon.."

"Don't Jon me, Angel, damn it." Dean said as he took Dahlia and hugged her then smirking said "I'm gonna be back in 3 weeks, shorty.. Then I'm gonna teach ya how to actually throw a football. Can't have ya throwin like ya ma, can we?"

Dahlia giggled and spontaneously gave him a kiss on the cheek as she whispered, "I see you when mommy brings me to you show. But I gonna misses you, sir."

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm.. So's my mommy." Dahlia said as she added, "And I still gonna helps you try and get my mommy to fall for ya too."

"Good." Dean said as he smiled, then ruffled her hair, placing her back on her own two feet. He noticed quite a few of the guys he was on the roster with were looking at him strangely, and he glared as he realized that none other than John Cena, of all people, seemed to be checking Angel out.

As Angel and Dahlia left, Dean watched them leaving, and grumpily mumbled to himself. So they were trying to make things work, they were going to give this, whatever it was with them a try, but now he was back on the road again..

Could he resist temptations?

He hadn't ever really tried to before, but he damn sure didn't want to lose Angel either. A punch to his arm had him clearing his throat, snapping back into the here and now, not a million miles away like he had been , lost in thought.

"Seth asked if you're ready to get in the airport, man." Roman asked as Dean finally muttered, "Yeah and no." more puzzled than anything by how it felt to actually be leaving, and leaving two people important to him behind.

John walked over and then asked casually, "Your girl?'

"Yes, Super Cena. Fuck off her."

John gave him a raised brow then walked away. He hadn't been asking for himself, of course, he'd sort of been inquiring out of curiousity more than anything..

Besides, Randy was the one with the soft touch for the leggy brunette that'd dropped Ambrose off at the airport just now, not him...

"Well?" Randy asked as John said "Apparently, yes.. She is with that jackass. God knows why or what she sees in the guy even, but yeah."

"Oh, trust me.. Sooner or later, Cena, he'll fuck it up." Randy said with a smirk as he asked, "Did you get a name?"

"Yeah, Kaitlyn and Layla were talking to her, called her Angel." John said dismissively as he asked, "What's it to you, Randy?"

"Because, reasons, that's why, damn it.. Where the hell did a guy like him find her?" he wondered aloud to himself as John groaned and said "Oh no you don't."

"What?"

"I see that smirk, Orton."

"And?"

"And, you're gonna stay the hell out of it. Chances are, it's complicated enough without adding a third party to the mix.. besides, you have more important things."

"I do, but.. Doesn't stop me from wanting what I want.. All I have to do as far as this goes, Cena? Wait until he inevitably screws up. He will, he's a fuck up like that."

"And then what?"

"Then Orton makes his play." Randy said with a calm and confident smirk as he rolled his eyes at the 3 men in Shield, their two girlfriends.

Dean stifled a laugh as he got a text from Angel, who'd stopped in the parking lot to watch the plane as it took off. "Not even gone yet, babe." he muttered as he looked at the phone's screen for a few moments, then texted back,

'Okay, u busted me. Not even gone yet & I miss u both already. We r still on 4 that midnight swim... bc if we r, i have new conditions... naked.'

Angel groaned as she read Jon's text responding to the text she'd sent him from the parking lot as she sat on the hood of her Mustang with Dahlia who kept asking, "Is that his plane, mommy?"

She licked her lips slowly as she tried NOT picturing his new conditions for their midnight swim when he got back, but she typed back daringly, 'U R On, babe.'

Dean felt the phone buzzing and quickly, he fished it out of his pockets, raking his hand through his hair, licking his lips as HE tried not to picture the situation he'd talked himself into when he went back home on downtime, and groaning, he shifted in his seat as he texted back, ' Alright. I can't wait. What I said tho.. I meant it, Ang.. if the ex shows up, get ur ass to me, k?'

"Yes sir." Angel muttered as she saw their plane going overhead, and read the text he'd just sent. Dahlia waved at the plane and then asked her mommy, "Are you gonna be okay, Mommy?"

"Yeah, little bit, we're gonna be okay.. We'll see him in a week, we're going to the show, remember?"

"I know, but you looks sad again."

" I am a little bit, Dahlia." Angel muttered as she bit her lower lip, worrying for a moment if they could actually make this work, his being gone so much. Now that she had him, she wanted more than anything for everything to work out for them.


	9. see you again pt 1

Two whole weeks had passed and it seemed like two years. She groaned as she looked at the calendar again, put a hot pink mark through today's date and set about making her coffee for the day, then going upstairs to wake up Dahlia.

Dahlia grumbled of course, and then Angel said with a smile, "But don't you wanna come down, see your surprise?" as she watched her daughter all but spring up out of the bed and race to put on clothes for the day, which she did, but badly mis matched.

"What I get?"

"What'd we get, baby girl." Angel corrected as she poured her daughter a bowl of cereal, and slid the tickets to the closest house show for WWE out of her pockets. "And guess what.. There just happens to be a waterpark nearby."

"A waterpark?"

"A waterpark." Angel said as Dahlia clapped, started to cry and then hugged her mother repeatedly as she asked, "So you gon see him while he gone away?"

"Yes, baby girl, I am. And so are you."

"Yay! When we leavin?"

" In a few hours. We're leaving to get there in a few hours.." Angel said as Dahlia cheered and then asked, "Did ya tell him?"

"Nope.. It's kind of a surprise." Angel said as Dahlia smiled, hugged her mom and said "He like it, I bet. I brings him my new race car."

"Dahlia, are you sure you wanna do that?"

"Mhmm.."

"Okay then.. Well, let's eat, get you ready for daycare, mom's gotta go in to work early.. That lady with the funny hair is coming in again. And I'm gettin off early, so we can start the drive before dark."

"Please tells me she not gonna dye it that color again?" Dahlia groaned as Angel shrugged then said "Personally, not really sure what a 70 year old lady's doing with candy pink hair, but hey.. I can't say anything, I dyed mine purplish red once."

"I know.. Mr. Ambrose said he wanted to laugh when he saw ya at school after ya did it." Dahlia giggled as Angel groaned and muttered, "Damn it, Jon, ya tell her everything, don't ya, babe?" and buttering a few slices of toasted bread as they popped from the toaster.

It was only the second week or so of his being gone, she was already past going stir crazy, she was already wondering would they make this work or not.. When he'd called her the night before, he'd been in a bar at the hotel, she'd heard voices in the background, but she thought nothing of it.

She was not going to become one of those paranoid, clingy, needy women she hated so much. She was not going to have him become the only person in her life, and be hurt when he left her or she screwed it up.

There was no ring on her finger, hell, if you really stopped to think, they weren't even officially together, so it's not like she COULD even say something to him about other women when he was on the road, even if she wanted to.

"You otay, mommy?"

"I'm okay, sweetie. Just can't wait to get there is all."

"You misses him too, huh?" Dahlia asked as Angel sighed and smiling a little, nodded as she said "Yes, I do, actually."

She found herself wondering if he just said all those things he'd said last night, because he was drunk, or if he'd meant them. They'd have to have a serious discussion soon, because Dahlia was getting attached, and so was Angel, though she'd die before admitting it.

Backstage, Dean glared at his cell phone as he willed it to ring. When it didn't, he smirked, called Angel instead. She answered and she sounded happy, he instantly got those red alarms of panic going off in his brain and wondered if she'd found someone else or something, then kicked himself for caring.

Clearing his throat, he asked, "So.. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing.." Angel smiled as she threw some clothes in a duffel bag, rolling her eyes at herself in the mirror, she was a bundle of nervous energy right now, because they'd been saying a lot while he'd been on the road and...

She was kind of nervous, wondering if anything would happen, if it was too soon for her to want anything to happen with them, then wondering why she was concentrating so hard on this..

He'd never said one way or another whether they were 'exclusive' or not..

"What do ya mean?" he asked as he paced the hallway, then wondered why she sounded so skittish. Had her ex been there?

"Everything's fine, Jon. Just running late for work and daycare. Somebody decided she needed 10 extra minutes this morning."

Dean smiled to himself and then said "I called because I was thinkin of ya both.. Was gonna ask if ya gonna come to one of the shows next week?"

Angel smiled.. So he had been thinking of them like she'd been thinking of him. That gave her a slight sense of relief.

"Actually, Jon.. We won't be able to."

Dean grumbled to himself, muttering "Knew it.. Knew she'd find another fuckin guy." to himself as he looked in the mirror of the men's bathroom, splashed water on his face. He needed to get his ass in the zone.

Apparently, their few weeks together, how he thought they were getting close..

Apparently not, because he'd been gone two weeks now, and he was clearly the only one going nuts. He lightly punched a wall, was about to say something, when Seth and Roman walked in and said "We gotta get down to the ring, man, c'mon.'

"I gotta go babe, I'll talk to ya in a little while." Dean said as he hung up and took off after Roman and Seth. He just had this feeling, and he couldn't shake it. She was up to something, it had him concerned and a little more than pissed.

"Finally fuckin let her in, she's gonna leave like the rest of 'em." he growled as he muttered, "The hell she is. I'm not gonna let it go like this."

Seth and Roman gave one another looks and then mouthed, "Should we tell him she's driving up here for the week, maybe?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, Ambrose?"

"What damn it?"

"Calm down.. We know something you don't, buddy."

"Yeah?"

"Angel and Dahlia are gonna come up here tonight, they were trying to surprise you." Seth said with a smirk as he watched Dean's face transform from an angry mask to a slightly shocked and truth be told, idiiots grin.

"Oh really."

"Yes, really, damn it, now.. Get your fucking head on straight.. Because Orton's put the word out he's gonna try and make a move for her, he's countin on you to fuck up."

They'd just walked past where Orton stood out of sight in the hallway and Randy growled to himself. Now how the hell did they even know what he was up to?

"Oh well.. I still stand by what I said at the airport.. He's gonna fuck it up, sooner or later.. So he'll be on his best behavior this week.. If I wanna get in, I gotta catch him when he's let his guard down."

Dean smirked to himself as the three of them jumped the barricade, circling the ring.. In just a few hours, he'd see her again, he'd see his little buddy again.

And he was still shocked with just how much of a difference that made in his mood, since she'd accidentally come barging back into his life after all the years.


	10. see you again pt 2

The plane had only just landed and Angel and Dahlia were practically squeezed to death by Layla and Kaitlyn who squealed at seeing Angel again, the three women had actually gotten quite close. "We've a bit of bad news for you, love." Layla said as she looked at Angel and Dahlia, then smiled sheepishly as Kaitlyn said "He knows you're coming.. But it's the only way we could keep him from going insane.. He was trying to book a flight back to Florida earlier, because he thought either you met someone else, and he was gonna go kick the guys ass, or he thought your ex might have been there, and you were scared and needed him."

Angel groaned then blinking said "Whoa, wait.. Come again with that first part?"

Dahlia spoke up and smiling a little said "He was jealous, mommy." as she stifled a giggle. Angel processed this new bit of information, then groaned, remembering her vague answers, and his paranoid brain, how the two probably hadn't meshed well at all. "Damn it."

"Yeah, so.." Kaitlyn said as Angel sighed and then said "Did they at least tell him to act surprised?" as she looked from Layla to Kaitlyn who were trying to hide smiles currently.

"What's going on?"

"Well... Seth and Roman are helping him do something at some point in this weekend. So, it is cool if we steal our little angel, yes?"

"I trust you guys, so duh, yes, it is.. What's he up to?"

"Something that's probably not like him in the slightest." Layla said as Kaitlyn added, "He's been intolerable the past two weeks. Like, he's attacked more people than the norm, even for him. Hell, he almost knocked Brock Lesnar's head clean off it's shoulders. Won't even talk about what he's got going on with Orton.. "

"Whoa, what's happened there?" Angel asked in concern as Layla giggled and said "He found out that Randy, apparently, is interested in you two, loves.. So he's made it his personal mission to basically attack him every bloody time he sees him."

"Ahhh.. Wow.. I had no idea that.."

"He's trying to deny it, he keeps saying he's going to mess it all up sooner or later, but girl, he's in love."

The three women walked out of the airport, Angel carrying Dahlia in her arms, as she found the car she'd rented.

When they got to the hotel, most of the roster was just getting there for check in, and as soon as she saw him, she sat down her bags and muttered to Dahlia, "Stay with aunty K and aunt L, okay?"

Dahlia giggled and nodded, giving her mother a shove as she pointed in Dean's direction. His back was turned and he was talking to Seth and Roman, completely unaware of her having gotten there.

She took a few deep breaths and got Layla to yell his name, then when he turned around, Angel got a running start, jumped into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist.

Dean grumbled as he heard Layla calling his name. "She better not have changed her mind." he swore grumpily as he turned around just in time to see Angel running at him. He smirked as he caught her in his arms easily, groaned as she kissed him and her hands raked through his hair slowly, all while ignoring the whistles from some of the other guys around him.

Seconds later, he felt a tugging at his jeans and he stood Angel on her own two feet, but kept his arm around her, his hand on the smallest part of her back, as he bent to pick up Dahlia. "We miss you!"

"I know exactly what ya mean, shorty." Dean muttered as he leaned Angel against him and whispered, "Impressive entry."

Angel's face flushed a crimson red beneath her tan and she bit her lower lip as she whispered back, "That guy.. With the arm tats.. He's sort of staring, it's kinda freaking me the fuck out."

"That'd be Orton.. See that busted lip? I gave him that shit.. Gonna give him a broken neck if he doesn't stop staring." Dean called loudly as Randy smirked, gave Angel a sort of wink and turned to get on the lift. "Hey babe?" Dean asked as he looked at Angel who shook her head and placed her hands on his arms as she said "No.. I'm not gonna hold your bags so you can chase him down and kick his ass."

"Damn.. How the hell did ya know what I was gonna ask?"

" Jon, baby.. You seem to forget, I grew up with you, I know your temper." Angel gave a slight grin as she looked at him, leaned against him. He grabbed the bags and then said calmly, "If he even thinks about talkin to ya while ya both here, I'm gonna kill him."

Angel rolled her eyes, pretending annoyance at him, but she raised to tiptoe and whispered into the ear that Dahlia was not near, "Please? You really think I WANT that guy? I got my eye on somebody so much damn better."

Dean smirked as he asked, "Yeah? Who? I'm gonna kick their ass."

"Kinda hard to kick your own ass, isn't it?" she asked as he looked at her, slightly stunned. She gave his hand a squeeze, and he turned his attention to Dahlia, who'd pretty much fallen asleep the second he'd picked her up. "Hey, shorty.. Wakey.. We're gonna go to the pool.. Do you want to go to the pool?"

"But, I sleepy right now." Dahlia yawned as he said with a slight laugh, "Okay, okay.. First a nap."

Dahlia nodded, falling back to sleep as the elevator came to a stop and the three of them stepped off. He slid the key card into the slot and opened the door, carrying Dahlia in and putting her on the other bed in the room before turning, coming back to the door, and carrying Angel in on his back.

He gently threw her back on the bed and leaning over her, he smirked as he muttered quietly, "You are a tease."

"I am not."

"You are, babe."

"How?"

"The cam.. Ya walk around in my shirts, not much else and.. Ya expect me not to be about ready to rip off a guys head over lookin at ya? Mine, damn it." he grumbled as his teeth grazed her neck. She leaned up and pulling him down almost on top of her, she muttered, "Yeah? Well what about you? Getting out of the shower and walking by the damn thing in a towel."

"Because I forgot my clothes in the damn room, babe."

"Yeah? See, I think you were teasin me too."

He flopped down onto the bed beside her and muttered, "As much as I want ya.. I'm fuckin tired."

"I saw the match. Laughed my ass off when Seth almost fell over the barricade.. It was even funnier when you took the US belt and clocked that one guy in the head with it."

"Yeah, well, he shouldn't have pissed me off in the locker room before the match, babe." Dean muttered as he growled at her and shifted her against him, his lips wandering over the back of her neck slowly. He thought about how many offers he'd had and refused, smirked to himself.

It was worth it.

Now he just had to make damn sure she stayed his and he didn't screw this up for himself. He was, after all, his own worst enemy.


	11. see you again pt 3

"Look at 'em.. Do they not realize just how bad that fucking guy is?" Randy muttered angrily as John snickered and then said "Randy, if you're not careful, you're gonna start to act like the very guy you say you're trying to 'save' them from."

"Shut it, Cena." Randy said as he rolled over onto his back, bit his lower lip in thought. There had to be some way to drive a wedge between them. Surprisingly, Dean had yet to mess up, he'd yet to give in to temptation, and girls had been offering.

Across the crowded hotel pool, Angel growled as she felt the cold water splash onto her. Dean smirked as he leaned over her, where she floated on an inflatable float and muttered, "Cold?" as his lips grazed her earlobe, making Dahlia squeak and say "Eww, gross."

Angel smirked and said casually to her daughter, "You won't be saying that one day, Dahlia."

"She damn well better." Dean said as he looked at Dahlia and said calmly, "Boys are trouble, shorty."

"But sir, you a boy."

"No, shorty, I'm a man. Big difference, you see."

"Oh.."

Dean snickered and fluffed the little girl's hair as he said "Okay, you ready to try and swim again?"

"I scart.. What if I sinks?"

"I got ya, just lay flat. Then we're gonna flip ya ma off that raft."

Dahlia giggled at this and Angel sat up, watching the two of them carefully, a smile on her face as she raked her hand through her wet hair and said "You be careful, damn it, Dahlia."

"I ams, mommy. Mr. Ambrose gots me, I not gonna drown. And he say you worry too much too."

Angel muttered something to herself as she slid off the raft and swam over, popping up behind Dean, leaning against his back.

He growled a little as she bit/kissed his shoulder, just below the scar on it. "That looks like it hurt.."

"Nah, didn't feel it until the doctors started fucking with it, actually." Dean stated as he focused on making sure Dahlia stayed above water. He stepped back, moving his arms and she floated, only losing her focus when she snapped her eyes open and started to paddle.

"Now she knows enough to save her life.. Won't worry so much when we're down at the damn beach and the tide comes in." he muttered to himself, thinking she hadn't heard him, smirking when she kissed/bit his shoulder again and muttered, "Yeah.. And you're supposed to be a badass, huh?"

"Shhh, damn it."

"Don't shush me, Jon."

"Bet I can, Angel." he said as he turned and picking Dahlia up, sat her on his shoulders before picking Angel up, holding her around his waist, smirking. He could feel eyes on him, he didn't care.

He'd take care of Orton's nosy ass tonight at the arena, backstage. He thought back to what he'd heard Randy telling Angel casually in the hotel lobby earlier, when Randy 'accidentally' bumped into her, with Dahlia, because they went back to the room to grab sunscreen.

_'I'm only telling you this, because I noticed the two of you seemed close. He's not a good guy, so if he's fooling you into thinking that he is, or that he's gonna be good to you or your little girl? He's not.'_

A smirk filled his face however, when he thought about what Angel told him in response to his warnings. He still had his doubts about her staying, but every single time something like this happened, threatened to tear them apart, the doubts grew smaller and smaller.

_'Randy? That's your name, right? Just gonna put this out there, darlin, take it however you wanna.. Jon and I have known each other since we were kids, so if you're insinuating that I'm some kind of an idiot and my judgement is bad or something, you really need to check yourself, because I'm not. I'm fully aware of what he's capable of.. And frankly? I'm not scared. He's honest. He's never once lied to or mislead me. As far as his being around my little girl? Dahlia is none of your concern, being as I gave birth to her and you sir, did not. So until you have a tiny life come out of the tip of your penis? I'd suggest you curb your opinions of whomever I choose to get involved with.'_

"Baby, he's staring. Again." Angel said calmly through gritted teeth as she rolled her eyes in Randy Orton's general direction, and pulled Dean's lips against hers as she bit his lower lip, forcing a deep growl muttering, "Eyes on me, Jon. Not on that prick. I'm right here, me and Dahlia, and no matter what, we're not going anywhere."

"Ya say that now, babe.."

"Don't fuckin argue." Angel said as she rested her forehead against his, looked up at Dahlia and said with a smile, "Tell him what you said on the way here, little bit."

"I say I was happy cause I was gonna go sees my new daddy."

The words sort of paused him a moment and he looked from Angel to Dahlia who still sat on his shoulders. A sort of broad smirk filled his face, the doubts got even smaller, but gave way to a new set, completely and totally different.. How the hell could he BE a dad when he himself never actually HAD a dad..

"Ya did, huh, shorty?"

"Mhmm."

Dean plucked her off his shoulders and sitting Angel on her own two feet a moment, he held the little girl then said quietly, "Ya sure ya wanna call me that.. I mean.."

"I know, I know.. Ya can be cranky sometimes. I cranky too.. Mommy cranky.. We can all be cranky together, 'kay?" as she fixed her eyes on him expectantly.

Dean laughed a little as he dipped her back in the water. Angel smirked as she picked up Dahlia and then muttered, "I'm not cranky."

"The hell ya not." Dean laughed as he pretended to stare at her in shock, then laugh as she pretended to pout. He could feel the eyes on him from Randy and John's direction and he grumbled, "That shit makes me cranky."

"Jon, don't. Things are fine. Look, he said what he felt he needed to earlier, I stood up to it. You really have to stop trying to create problems, got it? I find it highly annoying."

He smirked at her a moment and then pulled her against him as he looked at Dahlia and said "We're not gonna let ma call me annoying, right?"

Dahlia shook her head and grinning, sent a huge splash her mom's way, as Seth turned and made a goofy face as he asked, "You splashin me, little old lady?"

"Mhmm.. What you gonna do about it?"

Seth started towards her, wiggling fingers out and she squeaked, hid herself against Dean as she said "Helps!"

"Okay, Rollins." Dean warned as Seth chuckled and said "What?" innocently, as suddenly, he splashed them all, covering them and the people sitting on the ledge of the pool just behind them, with water. Roman glared and dove in as he said "Dahlia? Want uncle Rome to get him?"

"Mhmm."

Seth made a face and ducked as Layla and Kaitlyn swam over and whispered, "Heard about earlier. Some of the guys are trying to talk sense into Randy.. But Dean's gonna get him tonight."

"Yeah, the problem is.. Making his impatient ass WAIT until he's in the ring where it's perfectly legal.. I know how much this means to him, what he does, and I don't want him doing something stupid, losing his dream."

"Oh he won't." the girls said quickly as they asked, "So.. Are you enjoying it so far, being here? We're definitely glad you two got to come out to see him, I know we were going nuts without the lunches."

"Me too. Hey, who is that really spacy looking girl with crazy eyes." Angel asked as Kaitlyn looked around, saw AJ looking in their direction, just sort of staring.

"She's just a crazy little twerp who's pouting because people are getting sick of her crap.I'd watch her though, she's got a thing for going after the guys."

"Let her try it." Angel smirked as she called out boldly, "Hey.. Take a picture, they last a lot longer, sweetheart."

Dean's gaze went to where Angel had been yelling and he groaned, rolling his eyes as he muttered, "And she's tellin me I can't kick Orton's ass before the show? Oh hell no." He made his way over and putting his arms around her, he asked, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's good, why baby?"

"Because I know that smirk, Angelique."

"Oh do you now, Jonathan?"

"I do.. And last time ya smirked like that, that one girl in our biology class got laid flat on her ass." Dean muttered as he gripped her hips and Dahlia asked, "Mommy gonna hit her?"

"No, little bit, mommy's not gonna hit her.. Yet. Mommy's not violent until she has a reason." Dean explained as he thought about the one or two times back in high school he'd actually given her a reason.

Angel snickered as she watched his face then asked, "What's the matter, baby?"

"Just feelin sorry for her if she does piss ya off is all."

"Hey, that was just my left hook." Angel shrugged as she planted a kiss on his lips and then said with a wink, "Lucky I liked ya, or I'd have done what I did to the ex husband to ya."

He smirked and then as he looked up, his eyes met Randy's for a moment and he mouthed one word, clearly. "Mine."

Randy smirked and mouthed back, "Wanna bet, Ambrose?" as he flopped back into his chair. He was starting not to care, really, if the girl wanted to screw up her life, it was probably none of his business.

But he couldn't help but push Ambrose's buttons.


	12. waiting for tonight, pt 1

"She's seriously gonna come over here. Ughh, this gimmick seems to have her thinking I really give a damn about her offscreen and that couldn't be farther from the truth." Layla said as Kaitlyn nodded in agreement and Angel asked, "Taking it we don't like that skipping little bimbo?"

"Hell no. We hate her."

"We wouldn't pee on her, if she were on fire. That crazy thing? Completely NOT an act."

"Cannot wait to betray her in a few more weeks." Layla grumbled as she sipped a slushie and then groaned as AJ stopped next to them and asked, "Are you guys having fun? This band is lame. They always get the lame bands to play in the hotel bars."

Angel rolled her eyes. Just something about the way the short brunette kept eyeing Jon drove her crazy, really. Oh, don't get it messed up, she wasn't worried about losing him, not at all, even though she knew he wasn't some perfect guy, and the road did hold a lot of temptations.. She just didn't see AJ Lee being one of them. For anyone.

But especially not Jon.

"I know right? Hey, aren't you like, too young to be in here?" Layla asked as Kaitlyn high fived her beneath the table. They'd stopped in here to get a beer for the guys who were out in the pool area with Dahlia right now, Jon had been playing with her, hogging her all morning, really.

"So.. We get the guys their cold ones, then we get back out there, right?" Angel asked as Kaitlyn nodded and leaning in said quietly, "Relax.. He's so not interested in her. He actually made her cry backstage, it was kind of funny."

"That's mean."

"Mean, but sadly, funny. If she didn't do the stuff she did, we'd all like her. We all did before she lost grips with reality." Layla said as they grabbed their drinks, walked out the door to the table they'd been sitting at.

Dean smirked as he swam to the edge of the pool, pushing Dahlia on the raft. Tonight was going to go perfectly, he'd just gotten Seth and Roman to agree to help him set up everything..

Now all he had to do was get her to do something for an hour or two while he did. Which wouldn't be so damn hard if Orton weren't lurking like the proverbial creeper/stalker he'd taken to becoming lately.

"Ya would think after I beat his ass 4 times he'd fuck off already." Dean grumbled as he watched Randy watching her as she walked past. He smiled as he realized that again, she hadn't even looked at Randy.

Even though he was a title belt holder.

"Just stop letting it get to you.. By now, he's not even interested in her, he's more or less just doing it to make you do something stupid, scare her off." Seth said as Dean nodded then said through gritted teeth, "Doesn't make me wanna jump him any less."

"You have a good thing going, do not fuck it up." Roman reminded him calmly as Dean nodded and smirking said "Yeah, I do. But I gotta protect 'em man."

"Not from harmless idiots like Orton, man." Seth pointed out as he nudged Dean and said "Speaking of.. Here she comes."

Dahlia smiled as she waved at her mommy and said "Look! They gotted me a turtle raft, mommy, from the gift shop!"

Angel groaned and muttered, "He's gonna spoil her." as she smiled and slid into his arms as she repeated what she'd just muttered to him. Dean merely shrugged as he said quietly, "So... Ya gonna go to the water park for a little bit?"

"Why?"

"Because, woman, damn.. Reasons, okay? Just trust me." Dean smirked as Angel said quietly, "Last time you said those words to me, Jon, we both wound up in serious shit."

"How the hell was I supposed to know that we'd get in trouble for sneakin onto the football field? I was tryin, damn."

"If you hadn't spent half the time talking about random things, I might have realized it then." Angel smiled as she raked her hand through his hair, picked up Dahlia and asked her, "Do you want to go to the water park?"

" Mhmm." Dahlia said as she smiled.. She'd been listening quietly, she knew that Dean was planning on doing something sort of special, sort of not like him, for her mommy tonight.. And she had her own little part to play. She had to help her 'aunts' keep her mommy busy for a few hours. She'd already been sort of told that.

And she really wanted Dean Ambrose to be her new dad. They were a lot alike, and he took care of her, her mommy.. Even if they argued a lot sometimes. It wasn't like they didn't wind up laughing by the end of it all.

"Okay, what'd you do to her? She's agreeing to mommy and me time entirely too easily." Angel asked as Dean shrgged, smirked and winked at Dahlia, kissing the little girls forehead. "Just go, babe."

"Okay.. Call me when you're ready for me to come back?" Angel asked, warily, not sure what to think, wondering if this went back to what Layla and Kaitlyn said to her when they picked her up from the airport.

"Okay, babe." Dean muttered as he stole a kiss, holding her against him tightly, nipping at her lower lip.

As they left, Dean muttered quietly, "I cannot wait to see her face tonight. This time, gonna get this whole romantic bullshit right."


End file.
